Care as a career

At Bluebird Care Scarborough & Bridlington, our care staff are the heart of our business. These are stories by our staff about why they chose to work in homecare, and how they have progressed through the Career Journey. Read some of the special stories our staff have to tell about their experiences working for Bluebird Care Scarborough & Bridlington.

If after reading our staff stories you are eager to learn more about us, please view our vacancies page or contact our friendly team on 01723 588004.

Ruth's Story 

My career in care started at the age of 18, straight out of college. After completing my initial year for pre-nursing, I knew from this taster experience that nursing was not for me, although it was working with people. Nursing was for me to clinical, I wanted to work with people to improve and support the quality of their everyday life in a more social way.

During my career I worked my way from care assistant to team leader, manager and then onto registered manager. Prior to being made redundant from the local authority, I managed several services across Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale building up and delivering quality provision for people with differing abilities in the Scarborough area. I have always taken the opportunity to build up my portfolio of certificated learning ensuring that I am focused upon quality outcomes for the customers we support along the way.

My redundancy in 2013, gave me a chance to think about where I wanted to be in the future and how best to use my skills, knowledge and experience.

I was eager to find a forward thinking, local company who believed in quality and putting individuals at the very heart of the day to day service and support they offered. Initially, my career journey with Bluebird Care started in the role as a supervisor and then as the registered manager, my thoughts, ideas, knowledge and experience have all been welcomed and utilised in instigating positive change.

Together with the director I have worked to improve the recruitment process, overhauling the induction training, clarifying probation and expectations for the business, managing, responding and providing trained, knowledgeable staff who are focused on making a real difference to those they support. Sometimes I work alongside staff with customers which gives me the opportunity to keep in touch and make necessary changes and responds as required.

Making links and working alongside other professionals in order to ensure a holistic support service for people who are living at home, at times struggling to maintain their independence, can at times challenge our experience, knowledge and ways of working, whilst it can also ensure that we adopt a truly person centred approach in all we do!

I find working for Bluebird care gives me the opportunity to work with customers and their families, some of whom may be vulnerable, isolated in need of companionship and reassurance. None more so than those who are end of life’s journey, being in a position where  making a difference at this time of a person’s life is to me a real personal privilege and viewed as an opportunity to give something back and use the knowledge and experiences I have to those who need support.

The inspection completed in August 2015 giving us an overall standard as good was a positive result and the benchmark which we hope to improve from. I am passionate to gain improvement where needed in order to ensure quality for the people we support and for those who work for the company.

I enjoy the role I hold as a registered manager, as the support, expectations and standards that are set by the Care Quality Commission give both direction and support to all that we provide.

I’m pleased to be part of a dynamic, flexible, caring professional team, whose passion is to provide the best! One who supports and recognises the strengths of the staff, who are recognised as an “asset” in enabling us to provide what our customers’ need and want.

Sarah's Story

Having never worked in the health care industry before, applying for the role of coordinator within Bluebird Care Scarborough and Bridlington was a daunting task. I knew I wanted to work within this industry but wasn’t sure if it was right for me or I for it and had Emma and Ruth purely gone from my CV with my sales background they wouldn’t have hired me either. Throughout the interview process I was made to feel at ease and the role explained to me in such a way that I knew I had to have it!

They must have seen something in me as well because in January 2017 I will have been here three years. Over that time; I have encountered virtually every role within the business to a lesser or greater degree. Though co-ordinating was my main task, I also work out in the community doing the support visits, getting to know our customers so we can improve our service to them and be mindful particularly when coordinating that we are supporting human beings and they deserve dignity and respect.

In October last year I was offered the opportunity to move over to the Marketing and PR side of the business with my targets being growth and recruitment. This was through a combination of events not least of which was both Emma and Ruth recognising that a significant area of my skill set was being underused. I love people, I’m a people person and getting out into the community and driving the business forward is important to me because I believe in it. Emma once said to me “If I cut you in  half you would say Bluebird Care through the middle of you like a stick of rock”, that has always stuck with me because to me it shows that my commitment is recognised and valued.

At present due to changes within the office I am carrying the coordinating mantle as well as my other hats including training and marketing, because of the experience I have gained over the last year as well I can see much more clearly now the fundamental needs not only of our customers but of the business as a whole and the strategies that are being employed to ensure our growth and continuation of our career journeys.

Has it always been easy? Absolutely not. Ultimately has it always been worth it? 100%